Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T22:36:38.153Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Older people's views about ageing well in a rural community

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2020

Stephen Neville Open the ORCID record for Stephen Neville [Opens in a new window] ,
Sara Napier ,
Jeffery Adams ,
Kay Shannon  and
Valerie Wright-St Clair
Stephen Neville*
Affiliation:
Department of Nursing, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
Sara Napier
Affiliation:
School of Clinical Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
Jeffery Adams
Affiliation:
Shore & Whariki Research Centre, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
Kay Shannon
Affiliation:
Department of Nursing, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
Valerie Wright-St Clair
Affiliation:
AUTCAA, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Maintaining physical, psychological and social wellbeing is integral to older adults being able to age well in their community. Therefore, an environment that facilitates and supports ageing well is imperative. The aim of this study was to explore the views of older people about their preparation for ageing well in a rural community. Forty-nine community-dwelling older people aged between 65 and 93 years participated in a semi-structured and digitally recorded interview. The resulting qualitative data were analysed using a thematic approach. Three main themes were identified: (a) ‘sensible planning: the right place and the right people’; (b) ‘remaining independent: “it's up to me”’; and (c) ‘facing challenges: “accepting my lot”’. Findings from this study identify that across all age groups, these older people were actively and realistically preparing for ageing well. All valued their independence, believing individually they were responsible for being independent and planning for their future. Consequently, environmental planners, policy makers and practitioners need to understand that older people are a heterogeneous group and ageing policies should be geared towards older people's individual abilities and circumstances. Consideration of diversity enables inclusion of older people with a wide range of abilities and needs to achieve the perceived goals of ageing well.

Keywords

age-friendly communitiesruralageing wellgerontologyolder people
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 41 , Issue 11 , November 2021 , pp. 2540 - 2557
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Andrews, M and Powell, J (2009) The narrative complexity of successful ageing. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy 29, 73–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Associate Minister of Health (2016) Healthy Ageing Strategy. Ministry of Health. Available at https://www.health.govt.nz/publication/healthy-ageing-strategy.Google Scholar
Auckland Council (2019) Auckland Plan 2050. Available at https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/plans-projects-policies-reports-bylaws/our-plans-strategies/auckland-plan/development-strategy/Pages/rural-auckland.aspx.Google Scholar
Bell, S and Menec, V (2013) ‘You don't want to ask for the help.’ The imperative of independence: is it related to social exclusion? Journal of Applied Gerontology 34, NP1–NP21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Braun, V and Clarke, V (2006) Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology 3, 77–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Breheny, M and Stephens, C (2009) ‘I sort of pay back in my own little way’: managing independence and social connectedness through reciprocity. Ageing & Society 29, 1295–1313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Browning, CJ, Enticott, JC, Thomas, SA and Kendig, HAL (2017) Trajectories of ageing well among older Australians: a 16-year longitudinal study. Ageing & Society 38, 1581–1602.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buffel, T (2018) Social research and co-production with older people: developing age-friendly communities. Journal of Aging Studies 44, 52–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burholt, V (2006) ‘Adref’: theoretical contexts of attachment to place for mature and older people in rural North Wales. Environment & Planning A 38, 1095–1114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fernández-Ballesteros, R, Molina, M-A, Schettini, R and Santacreu, M (2013) The semantic network of aging well. Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics 33, 79–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heenan, D (2010) Social capital and older people in farming communities. Journal of Aging Studies 24, 40–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jopp, DS, Wozniak, D, Damarin, AK, De Feo, M, Jung, S and Jeswani, S (2015) How could lay perspectives on successful aging complement scientific theory? Findings from a U.S. and a German life-span sample. The Gerontologist 55, 91–106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Katz, S and Calasanti, T (2015) Critical perspectives on successful aging: does it ‘appeal more than it illuminates’? The Gerontologist 55, 26–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Labbé, D, Mortenson, WB, Rushton, PW, Demers, L and Miller, WC (2020) Mobility and participation among ageing powered wheelchair users: using a lifecourse approach. Ageing & Society 40, 626–642.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milbourne, P (2012) Growing old in rural places. Journal of Rural Studies 28, 315–317.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neville, S, Wright-St Clair, V, Montayre, J, Adams, J and Larmer, P (2018) Promoting age-friendly communities: an integrative review of inclusion for older immigrants. Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology 33, 427–440.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Novek, S and Menec, VH (2014) Older adults’ perceptions of age-friendly communities in Canada: a photovoice study. Ageing & Society 34, 1052–1072.10.1017/S0144686X1200150XCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oswald, F, Jopp, D, Rott, C and Wahl, HW (2011) Is aging in place a resource for or risk to life satisfaction? The Gerontologist 51, 238–250.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Patten, E, O'Meara, P and Dickson-Swift, V (2015) Scoping review of the exclusion and inclusion of rural newcomers in community participation. Australian Journal of Rural Health 23, 127–135.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Plouffe, L, Garon, S, Brownoff, J, Donelda, E, Foucault, M-L, Lawrence, R, Lessard-Beaupré, J-P and Toews, V (2013) Advancing age-friendly communities in Canada. Canadian Review of Social Policy 68, 24–38.Google Scholar
Plouffe, L, Kalache, A and Voelcker, I (2016) A critical review of the WHO age-friendly cities methodology and its implementation. In Moulaert, T and Garon, S (eds), Age-friendly Cities and Communities in International Comparison: Political Lessons, Scientific Avenues, and Democratic Issues. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, pp. 19–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pynoos, J, Caraviello, R and Cicero, C (2009) Lifelong housing: the anchor in aging-friendly communities. Generations 33, 26–32.Google Scholar
Scharf, T, Walsh, K and O'Shea, E (2016) Ageing in rural places. In Shucksmith, M and Brown, D (eds), International Handbook of Rural Studies. London: Routledge, pp. 86–100.Google Scholar
Statistics New Zealand (2013) 2013 Census Quick Stats About Warkworth. Available at http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/quickstats-about-a-place.aspx.Google Scholar
Thorne, S (2016) Interpretive Description: Qualitative Research for Applied Practice. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Timonen, V (2016) Beyond Successful and Active Ageing: A Theory of Model Ageing. Bristol, UK: Policy Press.Google Scholar
Tong, A, Sainsbury, P and Craig, J (2007) Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. International Journal for Quality in Health Care 19, 349–357.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Victor, CR, Scambler, SJ, Bowling, A and Bond, J (2005) The prevalence of, and risk factors for, loneliness in later life: a survey of older people in Great Britain. Ageing & Society 25, 357–375.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wahl, HW, Iwarsson, S and Oswald, F (2012) Aging well and the environment: toward an integrative model and research agenda for the future. The Gerontologist 52, 306–316.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Walker, A (2015) Active ageing: realising its potential. Australasian Journal on Ageing 34, 2–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Walker, J, Orpin, P, Baynes, H, Stratford, E, Boyer, K, Mahjouri, N, Patterson, C, Robinson, A and Carty, J (2013) Insights and principles for supporting social engagement in rural older people. Ageing & Society 33, 938–963.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walsh, K, O'Shea, E, Scharf, T and Murray, M (2012) Ageing in changing community contexts: cross-border perspectives from rural Ireland and Northern Ireland. Journal of Rural Studies 28, 347–357.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Warburton, J, Scharf, T and Walsh, K (2016) Flying under the radar? Risks of social exclusion for older people in rural communities in Australia, Ireland and Northern Ireland. Sociologia Ruralis 57, 459–480.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiles, JL and Jayasinha, R (2013) Care for place: the contributions older people make to their communities. Journal of Aging Studies 27, 93–101.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wiles, JL, Leibing, A, Guberman, N, Reeve, J and Allen, RES (2012) The meaning of ‘ageing in place’ to older people. The Gerontologist 52, 357–366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winterton, R and Warburton, J (2011) Does place matter? Reviewing the experience of disadvantage for older people in rural Australia. Rural Society 20, 187–197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winterton, R and Warburton, J (2012) Ageing in the bush: the role of rural places in maintaining identity for long term rural residents and retirement migrants in north-east Victoria, Australia. Journal of Rural Studies 28, 329–337.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
World Health Organization (WHO) (2002) Active Ageing: A Policy Framework. Geneva: WHO. Available at https://www.who.int/ageing/publications/active_ageing/en/.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (WHO) (2007) Global Age-friendly Cities: A Guide. Geneva: WHO. Available at http://www.who.int/ageing/publications/Global_age_friendly_cities_Guide_English.pdf.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (WHO) (2015) World Report on Ageing and Health. Luxembourg: WHO. Available at https://www.who.int/ageing/events/world-report-2015-launch/en/.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (WHO) (2018) The Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities: Looking Back Over the Last Decade, Looking Forward to the Next. Geneva: WHO. Available at https://www.who.int/ageing/publications/gnafcc-report-2018/en/.Google Scholar